Plenty of craftsmen, very few artists
Marcel Duchamp did even LESS than Noguchi did with this "bench" that is not really a bench but half of a sculpture.
Duchamp rocked the art world for about 100 years or so when he did nothing more than turn a standard men's room urinal upside down and signed it.
Today, artists are STILL riffing off of that one move, and have been for a century.
"Appropriation" has been the main approach for years now in painting, sculpture, architecture, fashion, music... you name it.
From Duchamp to Warhol to YouTube is a simple and direct highway. Probably a highway to the elimination of a need for formalized art, but what the hell, its happening.
Anyway, yeah, its just a bench.
But its really not about that, or the "object quality" of that bench, as much as it is an artifact of-- and a residue of-- a whole sensibility. IDEAS. Ideas that someone invested a whole lifetime in. It stands for something more than craft.
How much "craft" was in Duchamp's urinal that he simply turned upside down? All he frigging did was take it out of context. Changed the whole century. Hey I dont make this stuff up. It already happened. And still is.
And yes, they have made copies!!! Every friggin museum in the world has one now.
Never underestimate the power of an idea. It will beat out a good academic "paint job" every time.
OK, but still, that IS the wave we are in/on
That may be true Lunchbox, but nevertheless, that is the dominant mode of expression of our time. The ship has left the shore so to speak, whether you or I like it or not.
But back to the object.
Great art often contains great design, but not always, right?
Art history is full of examples of clunky stuff that hit the fan first-- and then was followed by a bunch of people who came along later and made more "refined" versions of it. But its exactly those followers that make the clunky crap become legend. The idea just comes out, for better or worse, then the refinement happens later usually. (But by that time, its all "academic" and boring and stuff.)
This is a DESIGN blog though. And design works a bit differently. Maybe.
But somebody chose to put work by an artist on this design blog. So perhaps that is where the problem is coming from.
Its NOT "design". Its Art. I know you dont think so, but man, it's hard to argue that the world does not embrace this piece of wood as Art.
.
Lunch box, a child psychologist would disagree.
It's a bespoke humble thing in my opinion but as tktoo said 'there is art in it', thats an interesting subtelty, why can't it be a prompt for thinking or polite discussion?
It reminds me of some arte povera work, superficially anyway.
and Duchamp was no hack
To me, hacks are academics who live by (and make art by) rules and formulas of one kind or another.
Duchamp was no hack. Maybe he wasnt very good at academic painting, but he made his case elsewhere. I think history shows that Duchamp was the conceptual artist of the century, and Picasso was the object maker of the century.
God I hate Picasso. But im not gonna sit here saying hes irrelevant.
I'm not saying it's a poor piece...
All well made or well thought out things have some degree of something about them. Whether that thing is art is debatable. But this platform doesn't strike me as such. It's so simplistic. I'm not saying it wasn't well crafted or even well thought out, mind. But it's a simple platform. You wouldn't call Noguchi an artist or even an artisan based on this piece alone now would you? Or more to point, were I to craft this exact form in teak would you deem it art? Would it be my take on this form in teak? Surely not...
Nothing stands alone, really...
But this piece-- it doesnt stand alone. There is a lifetime of context behind it. It is a link in the chain. (Like i said in my very first post on this subject)
The whole "great art should stand alone" thing is a myth anyway. We dont experience much without some kind of words or context or education propping things up one way or another. Or providing a context for meaning,
There are words next to the Mona Lisa too.
Acceptable forms and acceptable "art marks" only get that way through the evolution of an art language.
What makes MEANING is not universal, in my opinion.
Different cultures have different ideas about good design too... organization of space, density, stability, color -- none of that stuff was ever "inherent in the object". Its a learned value system of visuals that is usually fused with a personal vision.
That said, I know what I like too, and when a work of art is compelling, it SEEMS like it should be obvious to everybody else on the planet. But it often is not.
The collective consciousness is all we are left with as a final vote. A final decision about what history decides is great art, leaves much disagreement in its path.
What was the question? Jesus I forgot what the hell point I was gonna make.
Rambling...
Bogus? Its the artisanship that SDR mentioned that isn't immediately apparant that appeals to me, that and something about the impulse of man to have placed things at right angles for a very long time.
But please don't think I'm especially attached to it or my own opinions...its interesting, thats all.
To explain, I get excited over urban grid plans, I think the first was laid out by an Athenian General in Carthage? Imagine how that has influenced efficiency and industry and information exchange? But then I think about an office building built in the 70's that was left 'unfinished' so that occupants would organically find the most pleasing and efficent way to place desks, coolers, screens etc.
Its just the way I wander about sometimes, throw some ideas and reflections up in the air and see what comes of it.
But perhaps thats enough rambling for now.
Which was my point, EH...
Lots of people are stupid. And that's nothing new. The masses have gotten it wrong repeatedly throughout history.
Heath,
I can see your artisan angle. But I think that's only due to my fascination with Noguchi's work. Free of its origin, the piece strikes me as extremely well executed craft. Nothing more.
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